* 1838 – Nicaragua declares independence from the Central American Federation.

* 1838 – Non-laborer slaves in most of the British Empire are emancipated.

* 1770 – William Clark, American soldier, explorer, and politician ( d. 1838 )

* 1790 – Ferenc Kölcsey, Hungarian poet and politician ( d. 1838 )

* 1838 – The Wilkes Expedition, which would explore the Puget Sound and Antarctica, weighs anchor at Hampton Roads in 1838

A close relationship developed between Hasan Ali Shah and the British, which coincided with the final years of the First Anglo-Afghan War ( 1838 – 1842 ).

* 1838 – Léon Gambetta, French statesman ( d. 1882 )

* 1838 – Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, French scientist ( d. 1912 )

* 1915 – John Labatt, Canadian businessman and brewer ( b. 1838 )

* 1838 – John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist ( d. 1914 )

* Aleksandra von Engelhardt ( 1754 – 1838 ), Russian lady-in-waiting

The construction commenced around the courtyard with the East Wing ( The King's Library ) in 1823 – 1828, followed by the North Wing in 1833 – 1838, which originally housed among other galleries a reading room, now the Wellcome Gallery.

* Henry Sidgwick ( 1838 – 1900 )

* Tales of Angria ( written 1838 – 1839-a collection of childhood and young adult writings including five short novels )

* 1838 – John Labatt, Irish-Canadian brewer ( d. 1915 )

* 1806 – Jean-Olivier Chénier, Canadian physician and patriote ( d. 1838 )

* 1838 – Émile Loubet, 7th President of France ( d. 1929 )

* 1838 – Edwin Abbott Abbott, English schoolmaster, theologian, and author ( d. 1926 )

* 1881 – August Senoa, Croatian writer ( b. 1838 )

In mathematical logic, there are two quantifiers, " some " and " all ", though as Brentano ( 1838 – 1917 ) pointed out, we can make do with just one quantifier and negation.

* The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket ( 1838 ) – Poe's only complete novel

Edwin Abbott Abbott ( 20 December 1838 – 12 October 1926 ), English schoolmaster and theologian, is best known as the author of the satirical novella Flatland ( 1884 ).

When Dingane sent an impi ( armed force ) of around twelve thousand Zulu warriors to attack the local contingent of Voortrekkers in response, the Voortrekkers defended themselves at a battle at Nacome River ( called the Battle of Blood River ) on 16 December 1838 where the vastly outnumbered Voortrekker contingent defeated the Zulu warriors.

The Gallatin Election Day Battle took place in 6 August 1838, when about 200 people attempted to forcibly prevent Mormons from voting in the newly created county's first election.

He had come to the area from Pennsylvania in 1838 to claim the land bounty of his brother Giles A. Giddings, killed at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Dingane suffered a crushing defeat on 16 December 1838, when he attacked a group of 470 Voortrekker settlers led by Pretorius at the Battle of Blood River.

The Day of the Vow was a religious holiday commemorating the Voortrekker victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838, and is still celebrated by some Boers.

The Battle of the Windmill was a battle fought nearby in 1838.

However, there were several other attacks, the biggest being the Battle of the Windmill in November 1838.

Both American and New Brunswick lumbermen cut timber in the disputed territory during the winter of 1838 / 1839, according to reports submitted to the Maine Legislature, resulting in the Battle of Caribou and other conflicts.

* Patriot War and the Battle of Windsor ( 1838 )

16 December is the date in 1838 that the Battle of Blood River was fought.

* A small group of American rebels from the Hunters ' Lodges invaded Canada in the Patriot War ( 1837-1838 ) and the Battle of the Windmill in 1838.

The weapons museum also includes an exhibit on Thomas Hamilton Simms 1838 — 1919 ), who served with the Hempstead Rifles at the Battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield, Missouri, early in the Civil War.

Dingane responded by attacking the Voortrekkers ; on 16 December 1838 the battle of Nacome River ( later named the Battle of Blood River ) occurred, during which 300 Voortrekkers survived and won a decisive battle against thousands of Dingane's impis.

The Battle of Blood River (; ) is the name given for the battle fought between 470 Voortrekkers led by Andries Pretorius, and an estimated 10, 000 – 15, 000 Zulu attackers on the bank of the Ncome River on 16 December 1838, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

On 6 December 1838, 10 days before the Battle of Blood River, Pretorius and his commando including Alexander Biggar as translator had a meeting with friendly Zulu chiefs at Danskraal, so named for the Zulu dancing that took place in the Zulu kraal that the Trekker commando visited.

December 16, 1838 was the date of the Battle of Blood River, commemorated in South Africa before 1994 as the Day of the Vow.

* During the Battle of Veracruz in 1838, the bomb vessels Cyclope and Vulcain fired most of the shells used by the French, and scored decisive hits on Mexican ammunition depots.

In 1838 Robert Biggar and John Cane fell here in the Battle of the Tugela when opposed by superior Zulu forces of Dingane.

He participated with the 4th during the U. S. actions against the Seminole Indians, tribe of native Americans in 1837 and 1838, fighting in Florida at the Battle of Locha-Hatchee on January 24, 1838.

The Battle of Bossenden Wood, fought on 31 May 1838, is a much later contender.

She fought in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, was used as a prison ship from 1813, a receiving ship from 1820 and was sold for breaking up in 1838, recorded in Turner's The Fighting Temeraire.

The directive was issued in the aftermath of the Battle of Crooked River, a clash between Mormons and a unit of the Missouri State Guard in northern Ray County, Missouri, during the Mormon War of 1838.

The Battle of the Windmill was a battle fought in November 1838 in the aftermath of the Upper Canada Rebellion.